Toyota brings immersive pop-up to London's South Bank

Automotive brand Toyota installed an experiential pop-up near Gabriel's Wharf on London's South Bank to showcase its new car design - the C-HR.

The pop-up - or 'pod', launched this morning (21 October), is fully immersive, and encourages guests to 'Unlock their City' through its interactive elements. The pod was designed by experiential agency MKTG in conjunction with media agency Zenith and featured the new Toyota C-HR in front of an interactive mural, which is controlled via a touch screen plinth. Guests are invited to design their own unique backdrop for the C-HR using a range of patterns and colour options. Once finished, the masterpiece is then sent to its creator on email so they can share it with friends on social media.

The mural is based on the cities the pod will visit during its six-date tour, and has been designed for the event by illustrator Caz Little. Having already been to Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle, Toyota and MKTG brought the pod to London. The tour will end in Birmingham next weekend.

After playing around with the backdrop, visitors have the opportunity to star in their own gif, with their unquely designed mural as their background. Shareability is a key aspect to experience, as the gif is sent to the guests' phones so they can share it instantly. The pod is also a music-based experience, where consumers can create their own musical masterpieces by mixing instruments and beats together. The finished product is then sent to them via emai, so guests can replay their creations.

The Toyota C-HR is now available to pre-order ahead of its January release in the UK, but visitors to the pod are not only invited to look at the car's sleek exterior, but are also able to climb inside and experience its internal features.

Emma Lane, media and research manager for Toyota GB, said "It's about engagement. Whilst the awareness [of the car] is really important, we want to engage people in something more immersive; it's not just displaying a car in a shopping mall. We have this idea of 'perfect flow' around the car which is a tribute to the design and style of the car - it's very different to a traditional Toyota, and we wanted to bring that to life."